Holly Short: The Life Conundrum
by Jane Krahe
Summary: After the events of The Last Guardian, Holly rebuilds and has to live. Artemis/Holly romance, basically. Rated M for a mild sex scene.


Holly spent a week and a half on the surface after Artemis' initial revival - a new record for her. The first few days were spent at Artemis' bedside, telling him the tale of their adventures together and feeding him sparks of magic whenever the shadows under his eyes grew too pronounced. By the fourth day after his resurrection, Artemis was sitting up in bed, a computer in his lap, planning. He was desperate to join in the rebuilding efforts, both human and fairy. Holly set up a screen at the foot of his bed so that Artemis could conference with Foaly and Commander Kelp. Butler was in and out, prescribing exercises to strengthen his new muscles, which Artemis stolidly avoided performing. His family visited often, the twins most of all, and the boys took a particular liking to Holly. She began to wake each morning to find a pair of bright eyes leaning over her, and tiny hands tugging at her wrist, and a voice telling her eagerly that breakfast was ready.

That first night, Holly had refused to leave Artemis' side, so Butler had laid down a cot on the floor in Artemis' room, next to his bed. The sound of the Irish boy's even breathing and steady heart beat lulled her to sleep each night.

A week after the incident, Artemis was up and about, taking short walks around the gardens under Holly's watchful eye. Artemis was older than he'd been when he died, about eighteen or nineteen by Butler's estimate. He was taller than before, almost his father's height now. He was still slim but his shoulders had broadened slightly, tapering to a narrow waist. His jaw and cheekbones had solidified, losing what little youthful roundness they'd had. Sometimes Holly would catch herself staring at his profile, thinking about the boy he'd been and the man he'd become.

At the end of the first week, Holly came in to find Artemis dressed in one of his signature suits, expensive loafers gleaming on his feet. "I am _done_ being an invalid," he said before she could open her mouth to protest. "I need to get back out into the world. I've missed so much, and my family needs me."

Holly stifled her protests. It was true. She and Artemis spent that day with his father, helping him plan a new system that would rebuild the electric grid using wind and solar energy. But by afternoon Artemis was tired and Holly forced him back up to his room. He was so exhausted that he went without protest, lying down on his bed still in his suit. Holly sat at the foot of the bed and took his shoes off, watching him. "If you overdo yourself, Artemis," she said, her voice firm yet brittle, "I swear on Frond's beard that I will sedate you until you have all your strength back. Even if it takes months."

Artemis cracked one blue eye open, and his mouth twitched. "Yes, Captain," he said, and settled in, turning his head and pressing his cheek into the pillow. Holly stayed awake most of that night, keeping an eye on him. She hated seeing him tire so quickly.

She had wanted to stay longer, to be sure he was doing everything in his power to recover. But Haven needed her, and ten days after Artemis' resurrection, Commander Kelp ordered her back underground.

"I want you here by dawn, Captain Short," he said over conference call.

That evening, she sat next to Artemis in his bed, the two of them propped up on pillows, eating popcorn and watching one of the films that the People had made about her and Artemis' adventures. They laughed at the CGI version of Artemis, at the buxom beauty with long, flowing tresses who played Holly. Artemis fell asleep before the movie ended, and Holly turned it off, lying down next to him and staring at him. She didn't want to go. She wanted to stay there and will this stubborn human back to vitality. But her people needed her, and Artemis no longer did. That thought had caused such a pain in her chest that her eyes had welled up and she'd swiped at them angrily. "Stupid mudboy," she whispered, glaring at Artemis' sleeping form. Then, before he could wake up and cause her considerable embarrassment at the scene she was making, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

And then she left, because if she didn't leave right that moment, then she never would have managed to.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It was a month before Holly could make it to the surface again; a long, difficult month spent dealing with the remnants of the goblin gangs and helping to revamp the LEP protocols. She called Artemis as often as she could, on the new network that Foaly had built, making sure he wasn't working himself to exhaustion. Her chest ached every time they had to end the call, and it became harder and harder to do so. Finally, she demanded a visa and Commander Kelp had obliged, though with a calculating look in his eyes.

This time, she stayed topside for two weeks.

In that time, she and Artemis tried to get work done, but frequently found themselves simply… talking to each other. Laughing. Finding excuses to go off alone. Holly tried to teach Artemis to cook – with less than edible results. Artemis showed Holly how to tie a tie, though she claimed she'd never need to know.

When the call came in for her to return to Haven, she felt her stomach lurch.

She didn't want to go.

When she told Artemis she had to leave, his face – which had begun to wear a warm, almost fond expression whenever they were together – slid into a cold, impassive mask. "Goodbye then, Captain," he said curtly, and the icy tone of his voice hurt Holly.

She squared her jaw and replied tightly, "Yes. Goodbye, Fowl."

She didn't speak to Artemis for a week after that. And when she did, it was because he called, almost breathless with excitement over a discovery he'd made – some previously-extinct plant or something. All her anger with him had vanished at the sound of his voice so eager and bright. It took her a long time to figure out why she had been so angry with him over so small a slight.

And when she did, the revelation shook her to her core.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The revelation came almost six months after Artemis' resurrection. Holly was on one of her now almost weekly visits to the Fowl Manor. She was able to visit so frequently now because Artemis Fowl Sr. had offered the fairy people a forgotten corner of land on the edge of the estate to build a small shuttle port. It was for LEP use only, and was only needed until the Tara port was rebuilt. Now, Holly took every opportunity to come to the surface. And she stayed as long as she could each time.

But this visit had been marred by an unexpected visitor – Minerva Paradizo. She had come to visit Artemis to consult with him on some project she was working on. Holly had landed on the windowsill of Artemis' study, only to find him standing next to the pretty blonde girl, leaning over something on his desk. They were talking quietly and very fast, finishing each other's sentences. Holly landed lightly on the carpet and walked further into the room. They didn't notice her.

She cleared her throat loudly and crossed her arms, glaring at their backs. Hot anger was rushing through her and she had no idea why.

They turned and Artemis smiled. It was a real smile, a smile that she'd only begun to see after everything had happened. Minerva smiled as well, a gorgeous, brilliant smile, and it made Holly glare harder. Minerva was a woman now and the time travel and cloning had apparently worked to make the two of them about the same age. Her hair was lustrous and golden and she had the sort of curves that you don't get by chasing criminals and fighting goblins.

"Holly!" Minerva said, her voice warm, accent still thick as ever. "How wonderful to see you! Artemis never stops talking about you!"

Holly almost missed the look Artemis gave Minerva, as if vexed with her for revealing that little bit of information. "It's… good to see you too, Minerva," Holly said, trying not to sound as angry as she felt. "I was here to see Artemis but – I see he's busy." She turned to leave.

"Holly-" Artemis began behind her but Minerva jumped in.

"Actually, Captain Short, I must be going." Holly turned back around to see Minerva gathering a wool coat from the back of Artemis' desk chair. Something about seeing the girl's clothes strewn around Artemis' office made Holly's teeth clench – even if it _was_ just a coat. "I think we've finished here," Minerva said to Artemis. "I can send you the rest of the plans if you are interested. But I must be going."

"Oh, I am most certainly interested," Artemis replied, and Holly's small hands clenched into fists. "I'll be in touch, Minerva." He took her delicate hand in both of his and shook it, then watched as she left. Turning to Holly, Artemis frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice suddenly softer. More… intimate.

Holly tried to relax. "Nothing," she said. She crossed her arms again. "What did Miss Paradizo want?"

"It's Mrs. Fredrikson now," Artemis said. "And we were discussing –"

"Wait," Holly interrupted. "Missus who?"

"Mrs. Minerva Fredrikson," Artemis said, unbuttoning his suit jacket with one long-fingered hand. "She married a man named Davin Fredrikson – a professional skier if I'm not mistaken. Or he _was_, a year ago."

"…oh." Holly suddenly felt a little ridiculous, and she still wasn't sure why she'd been so angry.

"Holly?" Artemis took a step forward and laid his hand on her arm. "Are you alright?"

The concerned look on his face almost broke her. He'd always been so impassive, cool and calm even in the face of death. But ever since being brought back, his emotions played across his features more readily, and it was becoming far easier for her to read what he was feeling. "It's nothing, Artemis," she said with a small smile. "I just-" She broke off. And when she spoke again, the words seemed to come from place deep inside her, a place she hadn't realized existed until just then. "I missed you."

Several emotions flitted across Artemis' features before she could catch them. He finally settled on a small smile. "I missed you, too." His hand on her arm slid slowly down, his fingers barely touching her suit, until they closed over her hand.

She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his blue gaze. She still had one of his blue eyes, and she saw him now every time she looked in the mirror. Sometimes, she found herself studying her reflection in her wrist computer or a shop window. Just to see Artemis' eyes again.

And then it hit her. Holly's eyes went wide and she yanked her hand back from Artemis' grip. "I-I have to go," she stammered, her heat beating wildly. She turned and almost ran to the window.

"But you just got here!" Artemis said behind her, his voice hurt and confused. Holly jumped onto the sill. "Holly!" Artemis called.

But she was gone.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It took a week for her to fully admit it to herself after that first panicked flash of understanding. She had tried to rationalize it at first. They were dear friends; she felt protective of him. But Holly had never been very good at lying, not even to herself. And so finally, she had to admit it.

Captain Holly Short was in love with Artemis Fowl.

She considered talked to someone about it, but she wasn't sure who to talk _to_. She wasn't sure who would listen without judgment. Human/fairy relationships weren't exactly common. Of course they had happened before, but not regularly and not since humans and fairies had shared the surface. The only one since then that she was aware of was Turnball Root and his wife, and that hadn't exactly ended well.

But did Artemis feel the same? And even if he did, should they do anything about it?

She spent a few days working out her frustrations and anger over her own treacherous emotions on combat dummies in the new Police Plaza's training center. Then, when she'd finally accepted that yes, she was in love with Artemis Fowl and no, there was nothing she could do to force these feelings to go away, she sat down to decide on a course of action.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Holly called Artemis, once she'd come to these conclusions, and apologized for how she had acted. He accepted her apology, though he still sounded hurt at her long silence. Two weeks without speaking to each other was a very long time for them now. So Holly promised she'd come to see him on the next shuttle. She went to Commander Kelp to request a visa.

The Commander was silent as she spoke, and was silent for a long time afterwards. Then he said, "Captain – _Holly_ – please sit down for a moment."

Holly got a feeling of dread and she sat down. She hoped this wouldn't be a lecture; she hated those.

"Holly," Trouble Kelp said, and his voice was gentle, or at least as gentle as it could be these days. "I think it's time you decided where you're going to be."

"What do you mean, Commander?"

Trouble clasped his hands together, leaning forward on his desk. "You have been racing to the surface to see the Fowl boy as often as you possibly can, for the past several months. Every other sentence you utter begins with his name. Foaly says that when you're in Haven you call him at least once a day, usually more."

"What is Foaly doing monitoring my calls?" Holly said indignantly.

"He is monitoring your calls under my orders," Trouble barked. "Because I need to know where your loyalties lie."

"I don't understand, Trubs," Holly said.

Trouble took a deep breath; he seemed to be steeling himself. "Holly," he said slowly. "I think you need to decide whether you want to remain here in Haven… or move topside. Permanently."

Holly was stunned. She sat silently for a moment before managing, "You mean… live on my own, topside?"

"I mean live with Artemis Fowl."

Holly's jaw clenched and she looked down at her hands in her lap. "Living topside would not mean losing your job," Trouble continued briskly. "A LEP officer living on the surface wouldn't be a bad thing to have, especially now. But we can't keep accommodating these jaunts of yours. You need to choose where you want to be. For good."

Holly stared at her fingers where they lay twisted together in her lap. She thought hard for a few moments before saying, "Can I give you an answer in a few days? After this last trip?"

Trouble sighed. "Yes. I'm approving your visa to the surface. You have three days to give me an answer. If you decide to remain in Haven then I'll want you back down here for good. No more surface shots unless absolutely necessary. If, on the other hand, you decide to remain with the mudboy, then Foaly will kit you up with everything you'll need to be our first permanent surface operative. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Commander."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Holly rode the hotshots to the surface, arriving at the shuttle port on the Fowl estate. She flew slowly over the land, which was now covered in a tapestry of crops. She let the crisp air clear her head and lift her spirits. She could do this. She could make this decision.

She flew to the window of Artemis' study – but he wasn't there. Checking her helmet's moonometer and realized it was still rather early in the morning. She headed instead to Artemis' bedroom, alighting nimbly on the windowsill and easing the window open. She paused to take in the sight that greeted her.

Artemis stood at his wardrobe, his chest bare. His skin was smooth and pale, the muscles moving under it as he worked. And he was… she smiled slightly. He was sewing a button on one of his shirts. He wore dark grey pressed trousers and glossy shoes, so clearly he'd been getting dressed when he'd realized his shirt was missing a button. Holly hopped down from the window and Artemis looked up, startled by the sound. His eyes were wide and there was something in them that made Holly heart clench. It was a remnant of everything they'd been through, that he should have such instant fear at a startling sound.

But then the look was gone, replaced with a wide, relieved smile. "Holly!" He glanced down at himself and actually looked a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you."

"What are you doing?" she asked, amused.

"This is the only shirt I like to wear with this suit," he explained, accent lilting. "And when I tried to put it on, I found the button was missing. Luckily, it was in the bottom of my wardrobe."

"Since when do you know how to sew?" Holly said with a small laugh.

Artemis gave a look of false indignation. "Have we ever come up against something I _can't_ do?"

"Oh you mean like throw a ball or shoot a gun or hit the broadside of a barn with _anything_, including your fists –"

"Yes, yes, point taken." Artemis went back to sewing the button. "Are you here for long?"

Holly hesitated. "Not sure yet," she said after a moment. "We'll see what happens."

Artemis finished sewing the button and raised the shirt to his mouth. He held the thread taut and closed his lips over it, his eyes meeting Holly's gaze as he did so. He bit through the thread, yanking the needle at the same time. The thread broke and he dropped the shirt back down and smiled. His dark blue eyes had never left Holly's.

_Oh_, she thought, feeling her face warm up a bit. _That was interesting_. She cleared her throat as he took the shirt off the hanger and swung it on, buttoning it up. She watched as the hollow of his throat disappeared behind the shirt's collar. She was a bit sad to see it go.

"Holly?" Holly's head snapped up and she realized Artemis had called her name more than once.

"Yes?"

Artemis eyed her, as if trying to read her thoughts. "I was asking if you'd eaten yet, and if you'd like to accompany me downstairs to breakfast."

Holly opened her mouth to say that yes, she _was_ rather hungry, and that she'd missed Butler's cooking while she was gone, but what came out instead, to her utter horror, was, "Do you love me, Arty?"

Artemis _froze_. His hands stilled on the blue silk of his tie halfway through tying it, and his eyes remained firmly fixed on the floor. "What do you mean, Holly?" he asked, and it was obvious he was trying desperately to sound casual, but his voice cracked.

"I mean," Holly said, activating her wings and hovering up to his eye level. "Do. You. Love. Me."

Artemis swallowed and lifted his head, and there was a forced calm there that she hated. He smoothed his hair back and said, "Of course I do, Holly. You're my best friend."

"That's not what I mean, mudboy, and you know it." Now that it was out there, Holly _had_ to know. "I _mean_, do you love me? Love me the way – the way your father loves your mother."

Artemis' eyes darted around for a moment, as if trapped, and he said, "Why are you asking me this, Holly?"

"Answer the question, and I'll tell you."

Artemis ran his fingers through his hair and this time, his hand was shaking. "I really think, Captain Short, that this is neither the time nor the place to-"

"Oh stop your derailing Artemis and answer the damn question!"

"Yes!" Artemis looked shocked at his own angry outburst. He turned away, moving towards his desk. Holly wasn't sure why he needed a desk in every room but – well. It was Artemis. "Yes," said again, softly, his back to her. He sounded as if he were confessing to some horrible sin. "Yes, I do." He placed a hand on the desk as if to steady himself.

Holly wasn't sure at first what to do with this information. She stared at the tense line of Artemis' back, at his stiff shoulders. She hovered closer, reaching out a hand to touch him. But she stopped short. She squared her shoulders and said firmly, as if to a fellow soldier, "You should ask me to marry you, Fowl."

Artemis whirled around, looking shocked again. Holly took some pride in being able to surprise the great Artemis Fowl. She met his eyes steadily, though her heart was pounding and her hands were shaking. "Holly? Wh-what, er…"

Holly smirked. "The great Artemis Fowl, at a loss for words? You really _must_ love me." Holly hovered closer again, coming face to face with the Irish boy. No, no longer a boy. A man. And then she did something she hadn't allowed herself to think about doing. She leaned in and kissed him.

Artemis' hands flailed for a moment. But then he was kissing her back, his long fingers cupping her face. Holly wrapped her arms around his neck, sliding her fingers into his hair. She'd been wanting to do that for ages now, and it was even silkier than she'd imagined. When they finally pulled back, panting a bit, Artemis laid his forehead gently against hers. "I'm not taking your name," she said, her voice soft and fierce.

Artemis laughed breathlessly. "I wouldn't dream of asking you to."

Holly took hold of Artemis' still half-done tie and began to lead him towards the bed.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Making love to Artemis was something she hadn't ever thought about, hadn't even _allowed_ herself to consider. But if she had, she never would have imagined it would be like it was.

Artemis was, of course, a virgin, though she'd always assumed that. But if she had thought about it beforehand, she would have assumed he'd either be completely bumbling and awkward, as he was with most physical activities, or pompous and arrogant, as he was with everything else.

But he was neither of those things. He was slow, and careful, and almost… reverent. The first thing he'd said as Holly had pulled him towards the bed was, "Holly... is this even possible? What if I hurt you? We're not exactly the same size anymore."

Holly had silenced him with another kiss, even though she'd been wondering the same thing.

Once they were on the bed, Artemis seemed in no hurry. In fact, he wanted to touch every inch of her, wanted to watch her face and see what her reactions were, wanted to kiss her every other moment. In the end, she'd finally rolled him over onto his back and taken charge, because if she hadn't, she'd have died of frustration while Artemis explored to his heart's content.

It took a long time for Holly to get seated on Artemis' arousal, and even going slow she could feel the sparks of her magic healing a bit of tearing. His hands encircled her hips and he bit his lip, whole body trembling slightly.

Holly took it slow, moving gently for both their sakes'. But she encouraged Artemis to continue his exploration, and his nimble fingers found every sensitive spot and exploited it. Once a Fowl, always a Fowl, even at the most intimate of moments.

It wasn't long before they were both shuddering and clutching at each other. And when it was over, Holly lifted herself off Artemis and practically tumbled down to the bed next to him. They lay in silence for a long time, their breathing and hearts gradually slowing.

"So," Artemis said, startling her out of her afterglow. "Marriage, you were saying?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Holly sat down at the desk in Artemis' office and took a deep breath. Today was the day she was to give Commander Kelp her answer. But she had someone else she wanted to talk to first. She made the call, fingers tapping nervously on the desk. Foaly's face popped up on the screen, huge and colorful. "Holly!" Foaly said brightly, smiling at her.

Holly smiled. "Hello, Foaly," she said, and instantly the centaur knew something was amiss.

"Holly, what's wrong?" he asked. "You look like you haven't been sleeping."

Holly laughed. She hadn't… but not for the reasons he was thinking. "I want to talk to you about something, Foaly," she said. "Something very important."

"Aren't you due back today?" Foaly said. "If it's so important, why don't you just tell me when you get here? I've got some new tech I want you to try out anyway."

Holly's smile faded a bit. "Because I'm not coming back, Foaly."

Foaly was silent for a moment as he let her statement sink in. "And why is that?" he asked tersely.

This was it; cards on the table time. "Because I'm going to marry Artemis."

This was clearly _not_ what Foaly had been expecting and he whinnied in shock. "You're what?"

"I'm going to marry Artemis," Holly repeated, and before she could stop it, the words just came tumbling out. "I love him Foaly, gods, I know it's probably stupid but I do, and I want to be here with him. I _love_ being here with him, I love the sun on my face and I love see him every day and I just can't do it, Foaly, I can't go back to how it was."

Foaly seemed torn. One the one hand, his best friend was in love, and that was great. On the other hand, she was in love with a mudboy, and that wasn't so great. "Holly," he said, slowly, gently. "Humans and fairies… they're not meant to mix. And I don't mean socially." He huffed and said, "Look, I'm gonna try and be delicate here but… how will you two even… mate?" Holly opened her mouth but Foaly but her off. "I mean, he's twice your size Holly, and a bit stronger than he used to be, he could hurt you, and –"

"Foaly," Holly said sharply, cheeks burning. "We've already-" Her eyes darted away and she continued, "We've already crossed that bridge, alright? It worked just fine and I can handle – _we_, that is to say, _we_ can handle it."

Foaly suddenly looked a curious shade of green. "I'm going to pretend this part of the conversation never happened."

"I'd appreciate that," Holly agreed.

"Well… if this is really happening then… congrats." And Foaly smiled. "It couldn't happen to a less-deserving mudboy."

"To be fair, he did save the entire world. And died in the process."

Foaly waved a dismissive hand. "Details."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Holly and Artemis were married in a small, private ceremony that combined both fairy and human wedding traditions. They stood in front of Commander Trouble Kelp as he read the human rites, Artemis handsome in a custom suit and Holly standing straight and tall(ish) in her dress uniform. Afterwards they planted an oak sapling together at the bend of a river, to provide magical replenishing to future generations.

Their relationship was happy, though far from perfect. They argued often, and sometimes those arguments ended with Artemis staying in his office all night. But they always forgave each other in the end, and Artemis learned that it's sometimes more prudent to concede a point, even if he was right.

Their greatest test came two years later, with the birth of their child.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Holly had known for some time in the months after their marriage that they would likely get only one, maybe two chances at being parents. And Holly found that she _wanted_ to be a mother, even though she'd never really thought about it before. A year after their marriage, she brought the subject up to Artemis. And she was surprised to find that he wanted children as well. So they began to plan. They had a small window in which to conceive, if it was even possible that they could do so. Holly would only be fertile for about a month. She spent the time leading up to it getting herself in top shape, making sure she took extra vitamins and rested more than she normally would. It was hard enough to conceive with two fairies. They had no idea what would happen with a human in the mix. If, indeed, anything would happen at all.

But something _did_ happen. Three weeks into her reproductive cycle, Holly was pregnant.

They didn't tell anyone at first; they were too worried. The pregnancy was difficult right from the start. It progressed at an odd rate; Holly's belly grew several inches in one day, and then the growth stalled for two weeks, then began again. She was hungry all the time, far more often than normal, and craved strange things, including meat. Holly refused to give in to those cravings, however, and fought them with veggie bacon and sim-chicken. She fought dizzy spells and magical outbursts where her power would run away with her.

And then one day, Artemis came back from a meeting to find Holly unconscious on the floor of their bedroom. When he couldn't wake her, he called Foaly. The fairies came rushing up to the surface and built an emergency room right inside Artemis and Holly's bedroom. When Holly awoke, she was in a gel harness and hooked up to a dozen different machines. She could see Artemis and Foaly through a window in her incubator-like room. She could hear them, too. And Foaly wasn't happy.

"The nerve, the sheer _arrogance_ of you, Fowl!" Foaly raged at Artemis, who stood rigid and stared unseeing into the window of his wife's room. "You didn't think to consult even a single fairy on the possible ramifications of this? She could die, Holly could _die_, and all for your stupid ego!"

Artemis didn't even blink. "My ego?" he repeated, voice flat. Emotionless.

"Yes, Fowl, _your ego_." Foaly was angrier than Holly could ever remember seeing him. "You just _had_ to have a Fowl heir, didn't you? No matter what it cost Holly, no matter the toll this sort of thing could take on her body, you just _had_ to pass on those brilliant genes of yours, didn't you?!" Foaly reared and he actually shoved Artemis, who stumbled back a step and finally met the centaur's eyes. "And look at you! Your wife could be dying and you act like you don't even care?! Do you love her at all, Fowl?!"

"Of course I love her!" Holly struggled to sit up because this was the first time she'd ever seen Artemis actually yell at a person. She'd seen him sneer, condescend, debate, and manipulate. But never had he lost his cool quite like this. Artemis was panting slightly, his eyes wide and panicked. "I love her more than any-" he cut himself off. He took a deep, shaking breath and smoothed his hair, then the front of his suit. "She is my wife, Foaly," Artemis continued in a low, insistent voice. "And I love her. And I did not make this decision for us. Holly brought up the idea of children to me, and while I will admit that I wanted to try, the choice was always hers. If she had decided against it then I would have happily obliged. But she wanted this. We both did."

Holly decided to intervene then, finding a small cup of water and tossing it at the window. "Hey!" she yelled, though her voice was weak. "Stow it, you two!" They both had the grace to look embarrassed. "I am lying… in a hospital room!" she continued, panting a bit. "At least have the good sense not to annoy me!"

Holly remained confined to the gel harness for the rest of her pregnancy. Her blood pressure was too erratic, her condition too delicate to risk letting her run around the way she liked to. When she finally went into labor, half a dozen medical warlocks were on hand to help her through it. The labor went on for twenty six hours, and Foaly, Commander Kelp, Mulch, Butler, Juliette, and the whole Fowl family were on hand for the entire ordeal. At one point, Holly's heart stopped. It was only for a few brief, terrifying moments but when it began again, beating steadily and stubbornly, Artemis left the room. Butler followed right away and anyone who was listening could hear the sobs coming from the hallway. When he came back in a few minutes later, he was perfectly composed, if a bit red around the eyes.

Then the biggest surprise.

"Twins? No one said anything about _twins_."

Holly and Artemis had twin children. Their ears had a slight point to them, and their bodies were smaller than human newborns, but a bit bigger than a fairy infant. Their skin was dark, like their mother's, but both of them had thin wisps of jet black hair on their heads.

"No wonder you had so much trouble," commented Mulch. "How could your tiny little elf body possibly have had room for the both of them?"

"We can't all have a gut like yours, Mulch," retorted Juliette.

They showed magical abilities within the first minutes after their birth, tiny blue sparks travelling from where they lay in Holly's arms and along her body, helping her heal.

Holly was kept in the makeshift hospital room for another couple of days. Legal matters were ironed out during that time, including which world the children would belong to. It was decided that they would have dual citizenship. This was decided when the matter was brought to Holly and she snapped, "They're mine and Artemis', and they belong to the both of us! And if anyone tries to stop them from either being here on the surface or going down to Haven, then they will get a neutrino blast to the face!"

They waited to name the twins until Holly was let out of the infirmary with a tentative clean bill of health, and everyone had packed up and gone home. Artemis and Holly lay in bed, watching the children were the lay sleeping in twin bassinets at the foot of the bed.

"Artemis," Artemis said. "It's a fine tradition and one I'd like to continue. Artemis Fowl the Third."

"Yes but which one?" Holly asked.

Artemis blinked at her. "Well… the boy, of course."

Holly shook her head. "I want him to be called Domovoi," she said. "They wouldn't exist if it weren't for Butler, and it's only right."

"But," Artemis began, "I promised my father-"

"Arty," Holly said patiently. "We have _two_ children."

"Yes, but one of them is a girl."

With a bright smile, Holly replied sweetly, "Well… Artemis _is_ a girl's name, after all."


End file.
